BJP MLA stirs row with 'police encounter' remark, TMC condemns statement

A BJP MLA in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district has courted controversy by allegedly stating that ''TMC goons will have to face police encounters'' as and when his party comes to power in the state.

Condemning the statement, the ruling TMC said the saffron party will never get to rule the state.

In a purported video clip, which has gone viral on social media, Bongaon South MLA Swapan Majumder was heard telling supporters at a meeting in Gaighata area that his party members would give a ''befitting reply to TMC goons if they do not stop carrying out attacks on them''.

''We will not suffer silently if the harmads (goons) of Trinamool continue with the atrocities. Our Nadia district unit president was attacked by the goons in Gayespur, his car was damaged right in front of the police. We will not tolerate such attacks. The BJP has mass support, we will give them a befitting reply,'' he said during a meeting on Tuesday evening.

''Trinamool men who are carrying out Taliban-type attacks on our members will not be spared. When we come to power, they will have to face police encounters,'' he added.

The video clip, which was not independently verified by PTI, has earned the wrath of TMC leaders.

''This is the true face of the BJP, a party that doesn't believe in rule of law. They want to emulate the encounter raj of UP in Bengal. But their dreams of coming to power in Bengal will never be realised,'' TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh asserted.

BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar, when approached, said he was yet to find out what exactly the BJP MLA had said.

In response to Ghosh's remark, however, the state BJP chief claimed that ''UP is far ahead on the development ladder when compared with Bengal''.

''The TMC has unleashed a reign of terror in the state. Its activists have been attacking our men since May last year (following the declaration of assembly poll results). Not a single accused has been prosecuted thus far,'' he added.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)